GREENSBORO, N.C. -- Mack Trucks has produced refuse trucks for years, but is now working to make the system cleaner.
- One is being deployed with Republic Services and the other will be tested in New York City's Sanitation Department
- Many cities have debuted electric buses in recent years
- It could be years before the Triad sees the trucks
- STAY INFORMED: Sign up for our breaking news and weather text alerts
Monday at its Experience Day, the new all electric refuse truck was revealed. One of the trucks is being deployed with Republic Services and the other will be tested in New York City's Sanitation Department.
"The worst thing we can do is put a truck in a situation where it's not going to work as well as it possibly could. So we want to make sure that we understand our customer's duty cycle and the way they operate the truck as best as possible so when we go to place the truck in there it's as successful as possible," Curtis Dorwart, Mack Truck's Director of Sales Engineering said.
Many cities have debuted electric buses in recent years, and Dorwart says continuing working with sanitation departments makes perfect sense.
"It's gone beyond just picking up trash and getting rid of it. The refuse haulers are part of the solutions, how they take care of trash, how they recycle," said Dorwart.
While it could be years before the Triad sees the trucks, Dorwart says they'll be working to improve the trucks and continue to move towards sustainability.
"Just as well as natural gas, when that was deployed well over 20 years ago that had some hiccups starting off. I know there will be some challenges with this technology as well," Dorwart said.